Crop-handling vehicles



March 16, 1965 N. FINCH CROP-HANDLING VEHICLES Filed sept. 25. 1961 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR /V/GEL F//vcw United States Patent O 3,173,563CROP-HANDLlNG VEHICLES Nigel Finch, Pinswell, Chedworth, Cheltenham,England Filed Sept. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 140,562 Claims priority,application Great Britain, Sept. 29, 1960,

6/60 3 Claims. (Cl. 214-519) The invention relates to a vehicle forhandling cut forage crops, and is particularly concerned with such avehicle in the form of a trailer arranged to be towed by an agriculturaltractor and having conveying mechanisms which may be driven from thepower-take-off shaft of the tractor.

It is the present practice to tow a forage harvester behind a tractorand for the harvester to discharge the cut forage into a trailerconnected to and towed behind the harvester` When the trailer is full itis unhitched from the harvester and is towed to a silo where it isdischarged. Conventional trailers for use with forage crops haveconveying means driven from the towing tractor which discharge theforage from the bottom of the trailer. In order to deposit the forageinto a silo the forage normally has to be elevated and this requires aseparate elevator or blower with a separate power drive, normally afurther tractor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a trailer vehiclefor handling cut forage and which may be filled in the field and thenmoved to a silo into which the vehicle may discharge directly by meansof conveying mechanisms on the vehicle.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a trailer vehicle forhandling cut forage crops comprising a body for containing a mass offorage, a conveyor disposed at the floor of the body for moving theforage towards opening means, a further conveyor to receive openedforage discharged by the opening means, and a blower to which thefurther conveyor delivers the forage and which acts to deliver theforage from the Vehicle in an air blast.

The door conveyor is preferably a slatted conveyor, convenientlycomprising a series of spaced slats attached to and driven by endlesschains. To prevent the cut forage crops falling through the conveyor tothe ground if i the slats are widely spaced a fixed floor member orstructure may be positioned between the upper and lower conveyor runs.

The blower is preferably arranged to deliver the forage upwardly into achute which is chosen to suit the silo or the like into which thevehicle has to discharge. This chute, or a lower section thereof, may beformed integrally with the blower casing and the latter is convenientlyflanged for attachment of the chute or the upper section thereof.

The invention will now be further described with reference to theaccompanying drawings which illustrate a trailer in accordance with theinvention, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partly diagrammatic side view of the trailer,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view thereof, partly cut away to shown internaldetail,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view generally on the line IIl--IIIin FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary detail View illustrating the drive arrangementof the trailer partly broken away, and

3,173,563 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 lCC FiGURE 5 is a detail View of anopening member of the trailer.

The trailer has a rectangular frame 1 which is supported on an axle 2and a pair of wheels 3 adjacent the rear end of the frame. A tow bar 4in the form of a triangular frame extends from the forward end of theframe 1, being slightly underslung with respect to the latter frame sothat its forward end is at a suitable level for connection to thedrawbar of an agricultural tractor. At 5 the forward end of the frame 4has means for attachment to the tractor.

A body 6 having upstanding sides 7 and back 8 but open at the front ismounted on the frame 1. Extending across the open front of the body 6are three superposed and spaced cylindrical rollers 9 having theircentres lying on a rearwardly inclined line (A-A in FIGURE 4) and eachbeing provided with a plurality of spikes such as 10 arranged helically;the rollers 9 constitute opening members of opening or feed means forthe mass of forage as hereinafter described.

Each opening roller 9 has coaxial stub shafts 12 respectively projectingfrom the ends of the roller and journalled in the sides 7 of the body 6.At the drive side, as seen in FIGURE 1, each stub shaft 12 has mountedthereon a driving sprocket 13. The sprockets 13 are interconnected bytwo drive chains 14, and the drive for all the rollers 9 is provided bya driven sprocket 11 mounted on the lowermost shaft 12 outwardly of thecorresponding sprocket 13. As shown more particularly in FIGURE 5, eachopening roller 9 comprises a cylin* drical steel shell 15 mounted on theopposed coaxial stub shafts 12. ln FIGURE 5 one of the rollers 9 isshown partly sectioned at one end to show the arrangement of the stubshafts 12. As will be seen from that figure, two spaced similar discs 16are welded into each end of the cylinder 15 and have coaxial bores inwhich the corresponding stub shaft 12 is received and welded to thediscs 16.

The helically arranged spikes 10 of each roller 9 project radially fromthe outer periphery of the cylinder 15, the spikes being in the form ofshort lengths of steel strip welded in position on the cylinder 15. Eachroller 9 has three equiangular series of spikes 10, typical members ofthe series being shown at 10a, 10b and 10c in FIGURE 5. It will be lseenfrom that ligure that the three series of spikes 10 have a common helixangle which is so chosen that, starting from one end of the roller 9,the last spike of one series is aligned with the first spike of anadjacent series axially of the roller. In addition, as is also clearlyshown in FIGURE 5, the ,spikes 10 of each series thereof are staggeredaxially of the roller 9 relatively to the other two series. Thedescribed formation of each roller 9, coupled with the relativearrangement of the three rollers, results in a very satisfactory openingaction during operation of the opening means.

A conveyor at the floor of the body 6 is arranged to move the foragetowards the opening rollers 9 from the body of the trailer. The conveyoris arranged in two sections arranged side by side longitudinally of thevehicle, both conveyor sections utilising a common drive shaft 17. Eachconveyor section comprises a pair of spaced parallel endless chains, 18,18 or 19, 19, between which are fixed a spaced series of slats such as20. The chains 18 and 19 are mounted on front sprockets 21 which areposition.

themselvesmounted on the drive shaft 17,' andiat'the' rear end thechains 18 4and 19 are mQunted 011 Sprockets Such as 22 mounted on anidler shaft 23.

As will be seen from the drawings the slats 20 of the slatted conveyorare widely spaced, and to prevent the forage falling through theconveyor to the ground a fixed floor structure 24 is positioned betweenthe upper and lower conveyor runs. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3,V thisiioor structure is of timber boarded construction. In FIGURE 3 some ofthe oor structure 24is shown cut away to illustrate more clearly theconstruction of the frames 1 and 4 and the arrangement of the driveshaft17.

In use the floor conveyor is driven intermittently by a pawl and ratchetmechanism. As shown more particularly in FIGURE 4, the ratchet wheely25is mounted on the conveyor drive shaft 17 at the drive side of thevehicle, and' thek ratchet 2S is operated toadvance the conveyor bymeansof a pawl'26.r The pawl 26 is mounted on a pawl carrier in the formof `a swing arm 27 pivoted adjacent one end on the shaft 17v andattachedradjacent Athe other end to. a'return spring 28. Attached'.V tolthe inner face of the drivensprocket 1'1 is a cam Z9 with a single lobewhich produces a complete operative movement of the pawl carrier 27.once during eachfrevolution of the cam 29 and hence duringeachrevolution of the opening rollers 9.7 This pawl and ratchet operation ofthe Y 4 Y sprocket 11 to provide the drive for the latter in a mannerwhich mates the Screw snvysf 3 and the spsnm rollers 9 inoppositedirections, as is necessary with the illustrated form of the vanes34andy 35.

conveyor advances the latter stepwise at a rate which and 34 feed theopened forage to an intermediate posi-V tion alongr the screw betweenthe inner ends of the vanes 33 and 34. The blower Slis arranged sothatsaid interv l mediate position along the screw 30 communicatesVdirectly with'the inlet of the blower 31, and atthis intermediateposition the shaft 32 has a number of radially projecting spikes 35which have a final opening action l n on the forage.

The Archimedean screw 30 is arranged forwardly of the iloor conveyor and-the lowermost opening roller.9, and the `arrangement is such thatforageconveyed forwardly within the trailer cannot reach the screw 30 directlybut is first subjected to the opening/action of that opening roller. Theblower 31 has an upwardly extend- Ving dischargepipe 36 forminga' lowerdischarge chuteV section which is flanged at the Lupper end at 36a toenable a suitable upper discharge chute section to be bolted in likeinstallation into which it is desired the vehicle should discharge. Y

The floor conveyor 18,719, 20, the screw conveyor 30, the blower 31 andthe opening rollers 9 are all driven from a. Single power input'shaft 37which is arranged te f' 1 Y be connected to the power-take-otf shaft ofthe towingA This enables, the Yupper discharge chute section, which isnot illustrated,ito be chosen to suit vthey silo orV drives anintermediate sprocket set 40 througha Ybelt v drive 42. The sprocketset40 is coupled by a chain 43 to a driven ,sprocket 49 mounted Von thedrive end of the screw shaft 32toV provide a drive for the screwfcon-Aveyor 30.

A driving sprocket 44 mounted on Vthe shaft 32, in-

wardly of the driven sprocket 43, is coupled by 'a chainV sprockets44'and 46` one run of the, chain 45 engages the Between the The body 6has triangular side members 47 at the top thereof, the rear ,inclinededges of theside members 47 being interconnected by a top plate 48 whichprevents forage delivered by a harvester to the trailer from being blownbackwardly over the trailer. The side members 47 and top ,plate 48terminate short of the front of the trailer to provide a gapv above theuppermost opening roller 9 through which the forage can be deliveredinto the trailer. v f

In use, the trailer is towed behind the tractor and harvester in the`normal way and cut forage is delivered to the trailer between the`front edges of the side members 47 above the uppermost, opening roller9. Some of the forageV impi'nges upon-the top plateV 48 and is deflectedthereby into thel b Qdy Qtlu;k trailer. When the trailer is full, it isunhitched from the harvester and is connected to a tractor thepower-take-off-shaft'ofwhich is connected to the'input shaft 37 asalready described.

When the tractor has pulled the trailer to the silo installation intowhich theforage is to be discharged, the input shaft 37 is driven andthe trailer discharges the forage throughra suitable chute section`connected Ato the iiang'e 36a as follows: Y Y

VThe forage is moved forwardly by the -oor conveyor slats 2,0 vin anintermittent manner, is entrained by the opening rollers 9 which -rotatein the sametdirection and the spikes 10y of which open the mass offorage and deliver it tothe double screw conveyor 30 at thefront of thetrailer; 4the screw conveyor 30 conveys the forage to the blower `31 andthe latter propels the forage in an air blast along the chute and intothe silo'. Y

lt will be seen that eiiicient continuousforage harvesting lcan beobtainedwith vtwo tractors, two trailers Aembodying theinvention `and aforage harvester. One tractor may do the harvesting and till one'of thetrailers while the other tractor Vtows the trailer to and from the siloand drives the conveying mechanism of thetrailer when the latter is at.the silo.V This represents a considerable'saving of equipment over thepresent arrangement in Vwhich av frther prime mover and elevator haveVto be provided toelevate the forage delivered from conventional trailersand to deliver it into Athe silo.

' Iclai'mz"l l. A( trailerfor transporting and conveying forage crops,Vcomprising a vehiclebody having means for'attachment to aV tractor atthe front end, thereof, Y an endless longitudinal conveyor positioned atthe floor of the trailer andI movable to convey the crops towards the fr'ontof the trailer, a'transverse screw ,conveyor at the lower frontportion ofthe trailer, having end sections adaptedV to, feed inwards toan intermediate position,-

feed meanscomprising at least two parallel rotary mem-V bers havingtransversely projecting spikes, mounted onparallel transverse axes atthe front ofthe trailer above the front end of said longitudinalconveyor to assist in separating the material and lfeeding same to saidtransverse conveyor, v v

a rotary blower mounted forwardly of said transverse conveyor on afront-to-rearaxis yand having an inlet which is aligned with saidintermediate position of said transverse conveyor, atleast the majorpart of said blower .being connedbetween the longitudinal verticalplanes containing theelongitudinal sides of the vehicler I alongitudinal drive shaft at the front of said vehicle, having couplingnieansfor connection to a power take-off sha-ft of a tractor, e

and transmission mechanism interconnecting said drive 5 shaft with saidblower, said transverse and longitudinal conveyors, and said feed means.

2. A trailer as claimed in claim 1, in which the rotary members of thefeed means are mounted on parallel transverse axes lying substantiallyvertically one above the other.

3. A trailer as claimed in claim 1, in which said transverse conveyor isprovided with a plurality of spikes adjacent said intermediate sectionthereof, to assist 4in separating and feeding the material to the inletlof said blower.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSKappelmann May 1, 1956 Van Drisse Feb. 11, 1958 Fisher et al Dec. 23,1958 Manns etal Aug. 18, 1959 Osterhaus Apr. 5, 1960 Raney July 31, 1962Kasten July 31, 1962 Toft Nov. 13, 1962

1. A TRAILER FOR TRANSPORTING AND CONVEYING FORAGE CROPS, COMPRISING AVEHICLE BODY HAVING MEANS FOR ATTACHMENT TO A TRACTOR AT THE FRONT ENDTHEREOF, AN ENDLESS LONGITUDINAL CONVEYOR POSITIONED AT THE FLOOR OF THETRAILER AND MOVABLE TO CONVEY THE CROPS TOWARDS THE FRON OF THE TRAILER,A TRANSVERSE SCREW CONVEYOR AT THE LOWER FRONT PORTION OF THE TRAILER,HAVING END SECTIONS ADAPTED TO FEED INWARDS TO AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION,FEED MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO PARALLEL ROTARY MEMBERS HAVINGTRANSVERSELY PROJECTING SPIKES, MOUNTED ON PARALLEL TRANSVERSE AXES ATTHE FRONT OF THE TRAILER ABOVE THE FRONT END OF SAID LONGITUDINALCONVEYOR TO ASSIST IN SEPARATING THE MATERIAL AND FEEDING SAME TO SAIDTRANSVERSE CONVEYOR, A ROTARY BLOWER MOUNTED FORWARDLY OF SAIDTRANSVERSE CONVEYOR ON A FRONT-TO-REAR AXIS AND HAVING AN INLET WHICH ISALIGNED WITH SAID INTERMEDIATE POSITION OF SAID TRANSVERSE CONVEYOR, ATLEAST THE MAJOR PART OF SAID BLOWER BEING CONFINED BETWEEN THELONGITUDINAL VERTICAL PLANES CONTAINING THE LONGITUDINAL SIDES THEVEHICLE, A LONGITUDINAL DRIVE SHAFT AT THE FRONT OF SAID VEHICLE, HAVINGCOUPLING MEANS FOR CONNECTION TO A POWER TAKE-OFF SHAFT OF A TRACTOR,AND TRANSMISSION MECHANISM INTERCONNECTING SAID DRIVE SHAFT WITH SAIDBLOWER, SAID TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL CONVEYOR, AND SAID FEED MEANS.